


Wasted Youth

by sunshineandkoalas



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Laufey's A+ Parenting (Marvel), M/M, Teacher/Student, background starker, beware emotional and occasional physical abuse, i marked underage but loki is at least 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:40:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineandkoalas/pseuds/sunshineandkoalas
Summary: Loki's grades are slipping so Thor makes an appointment to talk to his dad. Thor discovers a terrible relationship between the two and somehow becomes Loki's babysitter for two weeks. Now he has to balance helping Loki do four weeks worth of homework in two weeks and a growing love between them.
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel), Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51





	1. I See You, You See Me

Thor had been teaching for years and he’d never encountered a student quite like Loki Laufeyson. He was an outcast, but Thor wasn’t sure that it was because others didn’t like him. He was pretty sure Loki was an outcast because he wanted it that way. 

It was Loki’s senior year and when he came back from the break, Thor noticed a change. After each summer, he had become more withdrawn and irritable, though Thor could usually work around it. This year though, Loki’s last year in high school, he didn’t pay attention or participate at all. Maybe Thor read too much into it, but each passing day seemed to make things  _ worse _ , not better as it had been each of the years before.

Loki had good grades, always had, and had mostly perfect attendance, but everything started to slip this year. The teachers all whispered about it in the teacher’s lounge like it was a big secret, but eventually approached Thor about it. He’d be best to deal with Laufey, they told him. He’d never met Loki’s family, hell, he barely knew Loki at all. The kid never talked, especially not about himself. Even the principal didn’t want to talk to Laufey, even though it was technically his job. Thor eventually conceded and the principal called to make the appointment with Laufey.

That’s how Thor found himself spending his open lunch hour with Loki and waiting on Laufey. Loki didn’t say anything, just stared out the windows. Thor graded homework assignments, keeping an eye on both the clock and Loki fidgeting in his desk. He’d never seen Loki so nervous before.

Laufey was nearing 20 minutes late, despite his complaint that he wouldn’t tolerate Thor being late to the meeting. Thor  _ couldn’t  _ be late though, since his office was where it was supposed to take place. Laufey also demanded Loki’s presence, even though both Thor and the principal had talked about leaving Loki out of the meeting. 

After 25 minutes, Laufey finally showed up. It was when he introduced himself that Thor realised that his parents must have been some very  _ interesting  _ people to have named their kid Laufey Laufeyson. Loki seemed to freeze over when his dad walked in, suddenly incredibly still and quiet, a sharp change from his idle sounds and movements a moment before.

“I’m Thor Odinson. I’m your son’s AP literature and history teacher.” Laufey sat in one of the chairs in front of Thor’s desk that had been put there specifically for this meeting, then turned to look at Loki, who was sitting in his assigned desk.

“Get your ass over here. I taught you respect and yet you still act like a petulant child.” Loki was quick to comply, sitting beside his father in front of Thor. He had his eyes trained on his lap though, seeming to wait on someone to yell at him.

“Well, Mr. Laufeyson, I called you here to talk about Loki’s behaviour and grades. He isn’t acting badly, per se, but he is no longer participating in class or paying attention. His grades have also started to slip and it’s been a large concern among the teachers because of his impeccable grades from the past three years.” Thor glanced at Loki out of the corner of his eye, concerned about the outcome of this meeting when Thor wouldn’t be around.

“Impeccable? Hardly! I’ve seen his report cards. You don’t need to lie on my son’s behalf. Is there something you’d like me to do? Ground him? Take his phone? I’m sure you know Loki well enough to know that nothing gets through to him. I’ve tried to make him an acceptable member of society but he failed out of the private school his brothers went to. That’s how he ended up in a public school at all.” Loki hadn’t looked up, still messing with his jeans.

“Well, I don’t think grounding him or taking his phone will really make a difference. I was actually hoping to find the cause of his behaviour rather than punishment. I don’t believe that it’s his fault.” Thor saw Loki glance at him quickly, then look back down. This was the first time that Loki didn’t look uninterested since the school year began.

“Of course it’s his fault. He’s made these decisions himself. If he won’t behave, give him detention. If he gets bad grades, let him fail and he won’t be able to go to college. It’s up to him. He’s acting out because he isn’t going on the family vacation this year. If I’m honest with you, Mr. Odinson, I’m more worried about my house being left with him than I am about his behaviour or his grades.” Loki finally looked away and back out the window, away from Laufey. If Thor didn’t know better, he’d think that Loki had tears in his eyes.

“When are you going out of town? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“This Sunday. We’ll be gone for two weeks.” Laufey began to text on his phone, no longer pretending to care about the meeting.

“If you’d like, I can check in on Loki. Take him home from school and pick him up, that sort of thing.” Laufey barely looked up from his phone.

“I thought I’d have to  _ hire  _ a babysitter. If you’re really willing to look after this kid, then be my guest. I have to go. I have other meetings. Loki, give him our address and our phone numbers.” Loki looked like he was going to say something, but Laufey was up and gone before he did. Then he rounded on Thor.

“I don’t need a  _ babysitter _ . And I can’t believe you called my dad.” Loki rolled his eyes and flopped backwards into the seat.

“From the sounds of it, you were getting more than a babysitter if I hadn’t offered. The only thing I’ll be doing is making sure you get to and from school and that you actually have food.” Loki stood up and grabbed his bag from his desk. He pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote out the address and both numbers before slamming the paper on the desk.

“Whatever. I’ll see you last hour.” Loki left without another word, though Thor considered it a win considering this was the most Loki had spoken or reacted to anything since the school year had started.

It was Friday, but the afternoon seemed to breeze by. That is, until last hour. Thor couldn’t keep his eyes off of Loki. He was the first one in the row in front of Thor’s desk, so it wasn’t hard for him to glance up at the kid. Loki seemed more distracted rather than uninterested. Normally, he’d stare out the window like he had been while waiting on Laufey, but now he just stared at his desk, picking at the black polish on his fingernails.

Loki was the last out of the class, hesitating in front of Thor’s desk. They just looked at each other for a second, then Loki turned to leave. 

“Loki?”

“Yes, Mr. Odinson?” Loki stopped in the doorway, students basically running through the halls behind him.

“Did you need something?” Loki stayed silent for a second, then walked back to his desk.

“I’m supposed to tell you that my dad wants to see you on Sunday morning before he leaves at 9. I didn’t want to tell you because…” Loki trailed off.

“Because you don’t need a babysitter?” Thor guessed. Loki nodded and put his hands on his hips.

“Yeah. That. He wants to tell you the rules for me. You know, no drinking or partying or whatever. I’m not like my brothers.” Loki rolled his eyes, but he was almost acting normal again. Thor wanted to tell him that he’s not like anyone he’s ever met, but he  shelved that comment.

“Right, well, I’ll be there before nine. I know he has a thing about punctuality.”

“Yeah, but like you found out today, that doesn’t apply to him. He says he shows up late to establish dominance or something. It’s dumb.”

“He has a skewed view of dominance.” Loki laughed at that.

“Mr. Odinson?”

“Yes, Loki?” The kid shifted for a second, hesitant to continue.

“Will you help with my homework? Over the two weeks my dad is gone, I mean. I haven’t been able to focus. That’s the real reason my grades aren’t as high this year.” Thor was taken aback. What could be the cause of his loss of focus? Was it Laufey?

“Sure, Loki. That means I’ll be hanging around more though.” Thor had a playful smile on his face that Loki mirrored.

“I have to go. I have a long walk home as it is.” Loki turned to leave again, but Thor stopped him.

“Wait, Loki? If you want to wait another fifteen minutes, I can take you home? Then I’ll know where you live for this weekend.” Loki seemed to think it over and then came back into the room and sat back at his desk.

“Thanks, Mr. Odinson. It looks like it’s going to rain and I don’t really want to have to walk through it.” Thor frowned. Did Laufey make him walk home every day?

“Do you always walk home?” Loki nodded.

“The buses don’t go to my side of town and my dad won’t pick me up. I don’t have a license or a car either.” Thor’s frown deepened.

“What about your mom?”

“My actual mom died in childbirth. My dad’s had more wives than I can count. I’d rather cut off my own foot than let one of them drive me anywhere.” Loki was leaning on his desktop, chin in his hand. He seemed much more open, similar to how he had been when Thor had met him his freshman year.

“I can take you to school and drop you off afterwards? I don’t like the idea of you having to walk to school since it’s getting colder and the weather is getting messier every day.” Loki just shook his head gently.

“You’re too nice for your own good, you know that right? I don’t need someone to take care of me or save me or whatever it is you think you’re doing.” Loki’s normal bite wasn’t really there and Thor couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with the fact that he wasn’t actually mad.

“I didn’t plan on doing either of those things. I hardly think driving you to or from school is taking care of you or saving you, Loki.” Thor started packing up his things, realising he’d never be able to grade papers with Loki in this mood.

“Yeah, sure,” is all Loki says in response, withdrawing himself once again.

“Alright, Loki, come on. I’m done trying to grade these for right now.” Loki followed him out the door and into the teacher’s parking lot, but stopped in front of Thor’s car.

“This is yours?” Loki asked, staring at Thor’s Audi.

“Yes?” Thor hadn’t thought about it beforehand, but he realised that Loki would be one of the few students to recognise that Thor couldn’t afford the things he had on a teacher’s salary.

“Do you have a rich wife or something?” Thor laughed.

“No. I’m from a wealthy family. It’s inherited money. Will you get in the car now?” Thor left out the part about his parents having been dead for ten years, but he assumed that Loki would figure it out eventually. The kid wasn’t stupid.

“You have all this money and you teach at a public school?” Loki asked after getting into the car, to which Thor just laughed again.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, just not to snobby rich kids. I remember being one. But it looks like a snobby rich kid found me.” Thor smiled at Loki in his passenger seat, who smiled back and shook his head.

“I’m not snobby.” Thor scoffed.

“Maybe not. I can still pick on you for it, though.” He hoped he wasn’t crossing a line, but Loki just laughed quietly.

“Sure you can. If I can pick on you for being one, too.”

“Deal, kid.” The rest of the ride wasn’t necessarily silent, but they stopped having any real conversation after that. Loki would ask a question or make a comment and then Thor would reply, but it didn’t go beyond that.


	2. What Do You Know About Calculus?

As it turned out, Loki lived a few streets away from Thor, who was living in the house his parents had bought when he was a baby. He didn’t tell Loki that he lived so close, though he had a feeling that Loki would find out soon enough.

No one was home when he dropped Loki off, so Loki invited him inside. Thor hesitated, but what was the worst that could happen? It’s not like Laufey would care that Loki’s  _ babysitter  _ was around.

Loki took Thor on a quick tour through the house, mostly showing him the living areas. Then he took Thor upstairs and pointed him up some attic steps. Thor was reluctant, but went up them anyway, finding a mostly monochromatic bedroom with touches of emerald green.

“This is my room.”

Never in a million years did Thor think he’d be standing in one of his student’s bedrooms, and yet here he is. Of course it would be the student he’s the most intrigued by. Meanwhile, Loki bounced onto the bed, having discarded his bag at the top of the steps.

Thor didn’t get much of a chance to inspect the room because Loki was talking to him before he could even move toward anything.

“Will you text me so that I have your number? That way if I have any questions about the homework tonight I can just text and ask? I really wasn’t paying attention today at all.” Thor clumsily pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Loki, since he’d already added both his and Laufey’s numbers to his phone after Loki had given them to him.

“Well, Loki, I should really go. I have papers to grade that need to be done by Monday. I’ll see you Sunday morning?” Loki nodded, walking Thor out.

“My dad wants to leave by nine so try to be here before then. I really don’t want to listen to him complain about it.” Thor opened his car door, looking at Loki who was standing on the other side of it.

“I’ll be here. Text me if you need help on your homework.” Loki stepped back and walked up to the door, waving at Thor as he drove away.

Thor didn’t know whether to expect a text or not, so he left his phone sound on just in case. He held off on grading papers though, choosing instead to cook dinner and watch TV. He had all of Saturday to work on them.

Around nine, his phone dinged, letting him know he had a text message. He was about to grab it when it dinged a second time.

_ From: Loki _

_ What do you know about calculus? _

_ I haven’t been doing any of this chapter’s homework and I have no idea what’s going on _

Thor couldn’t help but laugh at the slight desperation Loki had about making sure his grades didn’t fall too low. He wondered what about the meeting had changed his mind. Was it just Laufey blatantly stating that he doesn’t care about Loki’s issues?

_ To: Loki _

_ Can it wait until Sunday? Calculus is hard to explain over text.  _

_ What other homework do you have? _

He sent the second text last second, afraid Loki would think he was blowing him off. It was a while before Loki texted him again, or at least it felt like it.

_ From: Loki _

_ I have lit, history, and chem. And whatever else I didn’t do the last few weeks. I don’t know where all of my homework is though, other than this week’s _

Thor sighed. He was going to be spending the next two weeks helping this kid do his homework, wasn’t he?

_  
To: Loki _

_ I’ll talk to the other teachers and get it all straightened out. You know that you have to finish it all before the end of these two weeks though, because the six weeks will be up after that and whatever grades you have are final _

Thor wondered what Loki was doing. He knew it was probably homework, but what specifically? Was he actually struggling with it? Had it really gotten that bad in just the first four weeks?

_ From: Loki _

_ I know. It was stupid of me to avoid my homework. If I don’t get good grades this year I can’t go to college _

_ To: Loki _

_ What are you planning to go to school for? _

_ From: Loki _

_ Photography or law. I haven’t decided. I guess I could do both if I really wanted to. My dad wants me to go for law. _

Thor never would’ve guessed that Loki was into photography. Then again, Loki was pretty artistic when he wanted to be. Laufey definitely seemed like the kind of dad to make his kid go to school for something like law instead of what they wanted to do.

_ To: Loki _

_ Do you actually want to go into law? _

Thor was kicking himself after he pressed send. He was definitely crossing a line. He shouldn’t let his feelings about Laufey affect Loki’s relationship with his dad.

_ From: Loki _

_ Not really. I know it would pay well and I’d be able to but I like photography and art in general. My dad won’t pay for art school though _

Of course he wouldn’t. Thor rolled his eyes and changed the subject, not wanting to vocalise his negative feelings about Laufey and his treatment of Loki.

_ To: Loki _

_ How much of your history homework have you done? _

Thor teaches history and the AP literature class, which Loki is also a part of, so Loki was in his class twice a day. It was one of the many reasons why everyone else recommended that he talk to Laufey. Well, that and the fact that he won’t buckle under the pressure of parents.

_ From: Loki _

_ None of it? :) _

Thor buried his face in his hands. Loki was going to be the death of him. They’d finished three chapters already, and he’d done nothing? Not even a couple questions?

_ To: Loki _

_ Have you read any of the material? Anything? _

_ From: Loki _

_ No? I haven’t done anything. I don’t think I’ve even opened the book _

_ Can I just come over and you can help me with it now? _

Thor thought about it for a minute. Would letting Loki into his place be a good idea? He wasn’t supposed to be ‘babysitting’ yet, but it was just tutoring, right? But then Loki would know he only lives a few streets away. Before he could decide, Loki texted him again.

_ From: Loki _

_ Please, Mr. Odinson? My family went out to dinner but I’m still not allowed on family outings or something idk _

Well how could Thor say no now? Not to mention that his hatred of Laufey was only growing. Not allowed on family outings seemed like a nonsensical punishment.  _ May as well bite the bullet and invite him to stay the night, too. That’s definitely a great idea _ , Thor thought sarcastically while he typed out the text.

_ To: Loki _

_ It’s getting late. Do you just want to stay over and we can work on it tomorrow? _

Loki didn’t respond for upwards of fifteen minutes, which made Thor think he’d either fallen asleep or that Thor had scared him off. If that was the case, the next two weeks would be long and awkward.

_ From: Loki _

_ That’s a great idea, Mr. Odinson. When will you pick me up? _

_ To: Loki _

_ I’ll be leaving in a minute or two. Did you have dinner? _

_  
From: Loki _

_ No but don’t worry about it. I don’t normally eat dinner anyway _

Thor frowned at that. How long had the ‘no family outings’ rule been in place? It seemed like it had been long enough that Loki became accustomed to not eating dinner on a regular basis. Thor didn’t want to father him, but at this rate, he’d be about to adopt the kid or something.  _ Anything  _ if it meant Loki wasn’t being mistreated by his snobby parents.

_ To: Loki _

_ I have leftovers from my dinner earlier or I have stuff in the fridge. I’d really appreciate it if you ate something _

_ I’m leaving now _

Loki didn’t respond, so Thor assumed he’d just drive over and text Loki when he got there. It was sprinkling when Thor got into his car, so he hoped he and Loki got back to his place before the storm got any worse. He texted Loki again to tell him he was in the driveway, to which he got the response of ‘okay,’ but he still waited another ten minutes before Loki came out. By that time, it was full force storming, drenching Loki before he could get in the car.

“I’m sorry, I tried to hurry! I couldn’t find my laptop charger. I’m sorry about your car.” Loki looked genuinely distraught at the fact that he took too long and got Thor’s seats wet.

“It’s fine, Loki. I’ll dry it off when we get back to my house.” Loki nodded and sighed quietly, looking out the window.

  
Loki became even more wet trying to run to Thor’s front door, though Thor didn’t get nearly as soaked. Thor just laughed at the scowl on Loki’s face and retrieved a towel to dry his seat. Loki was still standing in the entryway when he came back in, shivering.

“How about you go take a hot shower and I’ll make you something to eat?” Loki nodded slowly.

“Okay, deal. Can you help with my lit homework when I get done though? I only have a couple questions left on the assignment and I don’t know how to answer them.” Loki took his shoes off and followed Thor upstairs.

“Of course I’ll help you. You need to eat first though. There isn’t any shower gel or towels in the guest bathroom so you’ll have to use mine.”

Thor explained how to use the shower and then they quickly discussed what Loki would like to eat. Thor gave Loki a towel and then waited on the other side of the bathroom door so Loki could give him his wet clothes. Thor was planning to throw them in the wash before cooking. 

As he was walking out, he swore he could hear Loki’s gentle voice singing in the shower. It was too quiet for him to know for sure what he was singing, but he listened nonetheless. He enjoyed it while still awkwardly standing in his room, even though he should have gone back downstairs to cook already.

“Mr. Odinson?” Loki’s voice called, his head leaning around the door. He looked surprised to still see Thor standing there.

“Yeah, Loki?” Thor asked, as though his strange presence was normal and polite.

“Can you bring me my bag? I left it in the kitchen on accident.” Loki seemed mostly unphased minus the initial surprise. Thor took it to him, careful not to let his eyes linger on Loki’s barely exposed naked body, even with the water droplets sprinkled over his skin. Thor went downstairs to cook after that, putting far more effort into Loki’s food than he had his own earlier in the night.

Loki came down a few minutes later in a slightly oversized tee and shorts that were way too short to be considered appropriate on any level. Thor had to keep his eyes aimed up rather than down at Loki’s long porcelain legs. He noticed that Loki’s toes were painted black to match his fingernails, which somehow complimented his pale skin better than any other colour ever could.

Loki just ate his dinner, rereading the chapters of the book that Thor had assigned. Well, Thor hoped he was  _ rereading  _ otherwise Loki was only halfway through what he was supposed to be. Thor busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen, trying to keep his mind—and eyes—off of Loki and his exposed body. Thor had never seen so much of it before. Loki always wore skinny jeans to school, which hid his long legs.

“So, Mr. Odinson, I really don’t know where to find this answer. I’ve been looking through the chapters it’s supposed to be in and I can’t find it.” Loki had a frustrated pout on his face, but Thor tried his best to just ignore it and go look over the assignment and book.

He had been the one to assign the homework and yet he struggled to find it, too. Then, he realised  _ why  _ he couldn’t find it. If Loki had been doing his homework when he was  _ supposed  _ to be doing it, he’d know too.

“This is a question that was supposed to be marked off because the answer is in a different chapter. I printed it off wrong. If you would’ve done this homework last week when I assigned it, you’d know.” Thor crossed out the question and stepped back, but Loki caught his arm.

“Okay, fine, but I don’t know where this one is either.” Loki flipped back to the front page of the packet and pointed at one of the questions. Thor took the book again and looked through it, finding the question almost immediately.

“It’s on this page. Are those the only questions from this packet that you need help on?” Loki nodded, not taking his eyes off the book page that Thor had given him to look over. He found it pretty quickly and then neatly wrote the answer in the space provided. Thor always knew which assignments were Loki’s because of his hand writing. Loki also only used black gel pens, presumably because they were precise and pure black.

Thor wandered off into the living room and sat down, turning on the TV. He flipped through channels, not finding anything that piqued his interest. Loki came in just when Thor was running out of channels to look through, so he gave the remote to him instead.

“I don’t know what to watch, kid. Pick whatever you want. I’ll probably fall asleep soon.” Loki laughed and sat next to Thor, surprising him. He wasn’t inappropriately close so Thor let it slide.

“Then why don’t you just go to bed?”

“I’ll go eventually. Does your dad know you’re here?” Loki nodded.

“Kind of. He knows I’m with a friend. He just doesn’t know that it’s you.” Thor supposed that was fine; Laufey was kind of a dick anyway. It wasn’t like they’d done anything other than eat and do homework.

“I’m a friend now?” Loki rolled his eyes.

“Sure, you’re a friend now. Does that mean I get to call you Thor?” Hearing his name come from Loki’s mouth shouldn’t have been such a big deal, but his breath caught in his throat for a split second.

“I don’t think we’re that close of friends yet. Check again at the end of the two weeks.” Thor tried to laugh it off and it seemed like Loki hadn’t noticed his dilemma, as he was still looking through the TV channels.

“I’m bored of this. There’s  _ nothing  _ on.” Loki sighed in frustration and gave the remote back, finally relaxing into the couch. Thor and Loki were closer now, almost touching, but Thor didn’t say anything. He stood up after a few minutes of silence, though, nearly falling asleep.

“Alright, kid, well I don’t know about you but I think I’m just going to take my ass to bed. You can either sleep here on the couch or I can show you a guest room?” Loki stood, too, and stretched. Thor found himself wishing that Loki’s shirt was smaller so he could see it slide up his body. He banished the thought as soon as it came.

“A guest room, please. No offense but I don’t really want to sleep on your couch.”

Thor gave Loki the guest room across the hall from his own room, feeling as though putting him all the way on the other side of the second floor would seem rude. Loki seemed fine, putting his bag on the empty desk and climbing under the duvet. The storm was still raging outside, lightning and thunder and all. Loki had seemed a little tense all evening and he wondered if the storm had anything to do with it.

“I’m right across the hall if you need anything.” Loki nodded and quietly asked Thor to shut off the light, which he did, then rolled over. Thor closed the door behind him and went to his own room, passing out the second his head hit the pillow.


	3. You Don't Date

It was late into the night when Thor realised his door had opened and the light from the hallway was creeping in. He then realised that Loki was asleep next to him. They weren’t touching—Loki was on the other side—but he found it strange that Loki found comfort in being near him during a thunderstorm. It was sweet, of course, but he didn’t think Loki was the type to seek comfort in others rather than in himself. Thor got up to shut the door, but when he got back in bed, Loki was awake.

“Sorry, I-I got scared of the storm and I didn’t want to wake you up.” Loki spoke like he was going to cry and Thor figured that had something to do with his parents.

“It’s okay, Loki. Just go back to sleep.” Thor placed his hand over Loki’s, which had been lying on the pillow next to his face. Loki just mumbled an ‘ _ okay _ ’ in response.

Loki was still there when Thor woke up the next morning. The storm had passed for the most part, it was just cold and foggy now, but it was supposed to rain again later in the evening. Thor stayed in bed until Loki woke up, playing on his phone. He didn’t want to wake Loki up by getting out of bed like he had the night before.

“Hi,” Loki mumbled a little later.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” He saw a small smile on Loki’s face then, one more genuine than he normally saw on Loki.

“I have so much homework to do.” Loki shoved his face into the pillow and groaned, making Thor laugh quietly.

“Well let’s go get some breakfast first. Then we’ll worry about homework, hm?” Thor rubbed a soothing hand over Loki’s shoulder and half way down his back. The oversized t-shirt Loki wore only made him look smaller, especially laying in bed where it pooled around him.

Thor stood up and stretched, but Loki didn’t move. He kneeled on the bed and pulled Loki up by his waist, holding him in his arms for a moment before he placed his feet on the floor. Loki just swatted his hands away and ran off, leaving Thor alone in his room.

Loki had left his phone on the charger in the kitchen so he checked it while Thor made them pancakes. When he made a particularly loud sound of frustration, Thor glanced over, watching Loki type at lightning speed. He debated saying something, but didn’t get the chance.

“My dad is throwing a hissy fit because I’m supposed to be grounded but I’m not at home. I’m  _ always  _ grounded.” Loki basically threw his phone onto the counter, sighing in defeat.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Thor asked, still making their breakfast.

“No. He’ll have to deal. He’s going out of town tomorrow anyway. He’ll have two weeks away from me and usually he comes back nicer.” Thor nodded in understanding, his anger and hatred toward Laufey spiking once again.

“You can stay here again tonight and we can talk to your dad together tomorrow morning.” Loki came to stand next to Thor and rested his head on Thor’s arm.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I like having you here. It’s awfully lonely here by myself.”

They didn’t talk much throughout breakfast. Thor knew Loki didn’t normally eat other than at lunch. He was glad he was on lunch duty during Loki’s lunch hour, because he’d always kept an eye on the kid ever since he first saw Loki. He didn’t want to save Loki, but he wanted to be there for him. He just didn’t think he’d have such deep seated feelings for him.

“I need to do my calculus homework. I have a test on Tuesday and I know nothing from the chapter.”

“I’ll text Mr. Stark. I’ll ask if you can take the test on Friday instead, okay? You have Mr. Stark for physics, too, right?” Loki nodded and sighed.

“I have Mr. Banner for chemistry, Ms. Romanoff for AP psych, and Mr. Barton for advanced law.” Thor nodded and texted the four of them, making sure to ask for copies of homework that Loki had missed and to extend deadlines for him. He was really sticking his neck out for Loki, but if anyone needed his help, it was him.

“Alright, your calculus test is on Thursday and your chemistry test is on Friday. Let’s get that done first and then we’ll worry about psychology and law.” Loki nodded and fished his calc homework out of his bag and spread everything out on the living room floor.

“Mr. Odinson, are you coming?”

“Yeah, but why do we have to sit on the floor? I’m an old man, you know.” Loki laughed while Thor sat down.

“You’re not  _ that  _ old.” Thor smiled at that.

Doing homework with Loki was easy; he picked up new things incredibly quickly. They bounced back and forth between calculus and chemistry assignments so that they didn’t get bored, but they were done before noon. Loki would be getting more on Monday, but they were making good progress. As long as they stayed ahead of it, Loki would be caught up before the end of the six weeks.

AP psychology and advanced law were more tedious, but not unlike the homework Thor assigned. Loki did most of it on his own, only asking for help occasionally. If Thor had known all it would take for Loki to do his homework was a little company, he would’ve done this when the school year had started, before Loki was far behind.

All the homework that Loki had brought with him was done except for his history homework, but Thor had been the one to tell him to wait. It would be much easier for him if he did it all in order, since he had no idea what was going on.

It was late afternoon when Loki finally got done. They had taken a break earlier for a small lunch. Loki didn’t like taking breaks, even short ones, complaining that it slowed him down, but with a little coaxing from Thor he agreed to eat something. The fog had dissipated but it was raining again. No lightning or thunder this time, but the rain wasn’t exactly light. 

Loki was bored after his homework was done, constantly annoying Thor while he moved around the house doing various chores. Thor didn’t really mind but he knew that he didn’t do this with anyone else.

“This will probably sound strange but I actually made a friend at school.”

“Did you not have any before?” Loki shook his head.

“Not really. Everyone thinks I’m scary or weird. His name is Peter. He’s really nice, even if he is a little overzealous sometimes. He has a lot of other friends but he invited me to eat lunch with him on Monday. He said that he saw me eating alone and that he’d like to be my friend.”

“Peter Parker?” Loki nodded.

“I think so. He’s a senior, too, I think.”

“Yeah. He’s one of Tony’s—Mr. Stark’s—favourite students. He talks about him all the time. He does some after school thing with him.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Why does Mr. Stark like him so much?” Thor shrugged. They continued talking while they went upstairs so Thor could clean up his office. 

“Something to do with his grades and then with the after school thing; they’re like best buds now. Tony is incredibly wealthy though—Stark Industries is his after all—so I guess he wants an authentic friend for once. Other than teachers, obviously.” Loki was just leaning against the doorway, watching Thor’s movements.

“Makes sense. I don’t know why he’d want to be friends with a teenager though.” Thor laughed.

“I don’t know, some of you are easy to hang out with. Adults tend to be hypocrites or two faced or both. At least teenagers are honest about their feelings.” It was Loki’s turn to laugh, shaking his head at the same time.

“Teenagers are  _ not  _ honest about their feelings. We just suck at hiding them.” Thor finished cleaning his office and started walking back downstairs with Loki.

“Maybe you’re right. It’s refreshing though. I feel like with most adults I have to have a mask up, Tony, Bruce, Nat, and Clint being ones I don’t have to have one around. With you, I don’t necessarily feel that pressure. I don’t have to pretend to be anyone.”  Loki smiled.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with me being a teenager.” Thor looked over at Loki, but still mindful of his steps down the stairs.

“Oh? What does it have to do with then?” He saw the blush on Loki’s cheeks, but waited patiently for a response.

“My personality. People find it incredibly hard to be fake around me. I think that’s why I’m so hard to like. I see through everyone.” Thor nodded in understanding, walking into the dining room to take a seat at the head of the table. Loki sat beside him.

“Do you? What do I think of you then?” Loki shifted.

“You like me, obviously, but you’re also protective. Almost like a big brother, I think? I could be wrong about that specifically, but you’re definitely protective. You changed after you met my dad. You hate him and it’s obvious. Probably not to him, because he’s dumb and thinks everyone loves him, but it’s obvious to me.” Thor nodded slowly.

“Okay, so what do you think of me?” It was a trick, not a clever one, especially when Loki was concerned, but he’d backed Loki into a corner and he’d answer the question only because Thor admitted to his own feelings. They were vague, but Loki had been right.

“I think you’re lonely, but only in the sense that while you have close friends you clearly don’t spend much time with them outside of work. You don’t date often, or maybe at all. You—” Thor stopped him.

“I asked what you think of me. Your opinion of me, not what you’ve figured out. Though I do want to know why you think I don’t date.” Loki laughed quietly.

“Please, you’re hanging out with a 17 year old on a Friday and Saturday night. I feel like that one was obvious.”

“You’re avoiding the question.”

“Fine. I think you’re nice, nicer than almost anyone I’ve ever met, even after I directly disrespected you. You weren’t afraid of my dad, which is weird. Even the principal won’t talk to him. You care about other people more than they may deserve, but you make sure they feel safe. You’re intimidating at first glance, but underneath that you’re just a big teddy bear. I-I like… I like being around you.” Thor leaned over to hug Loki.

“I like being around you, too.”

The rest of the day was spent watching movies, with Loki slowly inching closer to Thor. It was bittersweet to watch because he knew Loki was doing it out of fear of rejection. Eventually, Thor lifted the blanket that had been over his legs, silently inviting Loki closer. Maybe cuddling a seventeen year old wasn’t the smartest thing in the world, especially when Thor felt himself becoming more attached, but he couldn’t bear rejecting Loki.

Loki leaned his head against Thor’s shoulder, their legs barely touching. They didn’t say anything, not even about the movie, but Loki seemed content. Thor felt him yawn more than heard or saw it, and couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on his face. Thor moved his arm to wrap around Loki, loosely of course, but Loki settled into it. They both fell asleep there.

Thor woke up around midnight, the TV now only playing weird late night infomercials. He gently woke Loki then guided him upstairs to bed. He debated for a second about whether to put him in the guest room or his own bed but decided on the latter. Loki would probably end up in bed with him anyway. Thor set an alarm for early the next morning since they had to be back at Loki’s before nine.


	4. Learn Your Place

Loki was grumpy the next morning, even after showering. Thor kept his eyes off of Loki’s tight jeans. Loki had tucked in a lace-lined silk cami, too, so that didn’t help. He had a baggy sweater in his arms, but he had yet to put it on. Thor wasn’t used to seeing Loki in more feminine clothing since Loki mostly wore skinny jeans with a sweater or hoodie to school.

“Good morning, sunshine. How’d you sleep?” Loki rolled his eyes at Thor’s cheery voice.

“I slept fine but not long enough. Is it really necessary that we be up already? We don’t have to go to my house for another hour.” Loki was pouting, his hip against the countertop.

“We have to be early and you need to eat breakfast. Now go sit.”

Loki was still cranky after breakfast, but he was more cuddly and attached to Thor, holding onto Thor’s wrist on the drive to Loki’s house. When they pulled up, Laufey was outside with Loki’s brothers, packing their things into the car.

“I thought you were with a friend?” Laufey looked livid, but Loki didn’t cower away like Thor expected him to.

“I was. He was helping me with my homework. It’s almost all done already.” Loki crossed his arms, staring Laufey down.

“If you want to whore yourself out for some good grades, then you do that. That is exactly why you’re not allowed on family trips.” Thor felt his hands begin to burn, wanting so badly to punch Laufey.

“At least I’m useful as a whore. How does it feel to be useless, dear dad?” Laufey’s hand was striking across Loki’s face before Thor could step forward to stop him and it took everything in him not to beat Laufey into the concrete.

“Learn your place, runt.” Loki held his cheek, looking at the pavement as Laufey retreated into the house. Thor couldn’t see Loki’s face and his brothers were still outside so he didn’t want to make the situation worse by babying him.

“Come on. He’ll want to talk to you. They should be leaving soon.” Loki grabbed Thor’s wrist and walked them into the house, finding Loki’s dad and his wife in the kitchen.

“Loki isn’t allowed to have anyone over. No drinking or drugs. He can’t stay out past nine, but I’d prefer if he didn’t leave the house for anything other than school. The house needs cleaned, Loki. There’s a chore list on the fridge. Have it done before we get back.”

Without another word, they left, the front door slamming shut. Loki stormed off upstairs, so Thor followed. He knew Loki probably didn’t want him to, but he needed to make sure he was okay. Loki was laying in his bed when Thor came up the stairs.

“Go away.”

“Nope. You’re stuck with me. Do you want to go do something? We can go to the park or get ice cream? Anything you want.” Thor came to sit on the bed next to Loki, hand coming up to rest on Loki’s thigh.

“I’m not a little kid.”

“I know that, but it’s nice outside. I just thought you might like being outside. If not, we can go back to my place and watch movies like we did last night?” Loki looked at him and Thor found none of the snark on his face that he thought he would. Loki just looked sad.

“Whatever I want?” At Thor’s nod, he continued, “Can we hang out with Peter and Mr. Stark? I know they’re probably busy, but I’ve never hung out with a friend outside of school before.” Thor nodded.

“I’ll go call Tony right now, okay? You think about what you want to do with them.”

As it turned out, Tony was not busy and he was already with Peter, working on some new invention they’d come up with. Loki wanted to go to the zoo, but was embarrassed about it, so Thor lied and said it was his idea.

They met each other at the entrance and went in together. Tony paid for the four of them, despite the others protesting it. Thor watched Loki closely, observing each negative emotion fade away with every word shared with Peter, every animal they excitedly talked about, every moment spent away from his family.

“Do you like him?” Tony asked him later after they’d had lunch, Peter and Loki far enough up the path to be out of earshot.

“Of course I do.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“You know what I mean, Thor. Do you like him more than a student?” Thor just looked at him dumbly for a minute.

“Do you like Peter more than a student?” Tony laughed.

“Yes, I do, actually. I haven’t said anything because I don’t want him to sacrifice his future for an old man like me. Do you like Loki?” Thor sighed.

“I think so. I don’t know, it’s complicated, Tony.”

“You know, when I lost Pepper four years ago, I didn’t think I’d find love again, despite how many women have ended up in my bed since then, but I feel it again, with Peter. Even without the so called ‘perks’ of an actual relationship. I don’t have to kiss him or have sex with him to feel it. With Pepper, sometimes I did, but with Peter, I never have. Just being with him, around him, makes it worth it, even if he does go off to college in a few months. All I’m saying is, you don’t have to  _ do  _ anything with Loki, but if you love him, let yourself feel that.”

Tony had always been a little more morally ambiguous than the rest of his friends—something to do with his wealth and power, Thor assumed—but his intentions were almost always pure. Thor let himself think about what Tony said while watching Loki excitedly point out a red panda to Peter. He was sitting on a bench with Tony, since Loki and Peter insisted on staying at this particular exhibit.

“I don’t want to fuck up his life,” Thor finally said.

“And I don’t want to fuck up Peter’s. That’s exactly why nothing has happened between him and I. Well, that and the fact that I’m not exactly his type.” Thor and Tony shared a pitiful laugh, then settled into a peaceful silence. After a few minutes the boys bounded back over and were ushering them on to another section of the zoo.

Loki stayed close to Thor now, while Peter excitedly ranted on and on about various animals to Tony. Thor noticed the fond look on his friend’s face and wondered if he had the same expression while talking to Loki.

“Thank you. For today, I mean. I’ve had a lot of fun with Peter. He seems to really like Mr. Stark, too.”

“You’re welcome, Loki. We can’t stay out too late, though. We both have to get up early tomorrow.” Loki rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

“I know. School.” Thor just chuckled.

They looked at some more animals and then decided to eat dinner. It was comfortable, like most things shared between friends. Thor almost forgot that it wasn’t a double date. Peter was leaning against Tony’s arm in the booth by the time they’d all finished, already half asleep.

“Come on, Pete. Let’s take you home. I’m sure May wants to hear all about your day at the zoo. Did you do all your homework?” Tony spoke in a hushed tone so that passersby couldn’t hear, but Thor could hear it well enough. Thor guided Loki out behind Tony and Peter.

“I finished it this morning. It was the deal we made to work on the drones, remember?” Tony laughed quietly.

“Yes. I already forgot. I tell you all the time that you have to take it easy on me. I’m an old man.”

“You are not old, Mr. Stark.” Thor didn’t get a chance to hear anything else because he and Loki had to head in the opposite direction to his own car. He did see the fondness on Tony’s face again but Peter was too tired to notice.

Loki fell asleep on the ride home, so Thor carried him into the house. He put him in his bed, wondering if that was their new normal. He didn’t go to bed quite yet, though. He needed to finish grading the assignments that he’d started on on Friday, so he snuck off to his office to work on them. He only had a handful of them left when Loki wandered in, half asleep.

“I didn’t know where you were.” Loki walked over to stand next to Thor, so he turned his seat to face Loki. He didn’t think Loki would take that as an invitation to sit in his lap, but he did.

“I had to finish grading these papers. I’ll be in bed soon, promise.” Loki didn’t move though, just cuddled into Thor. Instead of protesting, he held Loki and finished grading, unsurprised to find that Loki had fallen back asleep in his arms.

Loki stayed asleep long enough for Thor to shower, thankfully. Loki’s hand found his after he laid down, small, deft fingers slipping under his hand. Loki seemed to still be asleep and Thor fell asleep holding Loki’s hand.


End file.
